As part of Bill C-69 coming into force recently, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) has been replaced with the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC).
There is obviously an abundance of information available on Bill C-69, however, we wanted to make you aware of this name change and to share a few resources summarizing how the bill changes Canada’s regulatory process.
On August 28, 2019, Bill C-69 was proclaimed into force, simultaneously enacting the Canadian Energy Regulator Act (CERA) and the Impact Assessment Act (IAA) and repealing the National Energy Board Act (NEB Act) and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 (CEAA 2012). Due to this legislative changeover, the National Energy Board (NEB) has been replaced with a new regulatory body, the Canadian Energy Regulator (CER); and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEA Agency) has been replaced with the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IA Agency).
-Source: BDP
- Burnet Duckworth & Palmer – Bill C-69: Introducing The Canadian Energy Regulator And The Impact Assessment Agency
- Dentons – Update on Bill C-69 and Bill C-48: Major changes are almost here
- Golder – Six Things You Need to Know About Bill C-69, Canada’s Impact Assessment Act (IAA)
- McLennan Ross LLP – The Notorious Bill C-69 Becomes Law in Canada
- Norton Rose Fullbright – New federal environmental assessment legislation: Bill C-69
The Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir Project (SR1) is not subject to new Bill C-69 standards
Although the regulatory review for SR1 is not subject to the new Bill C-69 standards, any project chosen for the Bow River project will be.
The regulatory timeline for SR1 was originally estimated to be one year yet here we are, years behind the original schedule, still lingering in the first stages of the regulatory process.
As project proponent Alberta Environment and Parks has suggested, any project chosen for the Bow River will be more complicated than SR1 and thus need a longer time for regulatory review.
Below is AEP’s preliminary timeline for a Bow River upstream reservoir project.
The final Bow River project has yet to be selected and no dates have been assigned to these milestones.
Having weathered numerous obstacles and delays on SR1, we are very aware of the challenges that await us on the Bow River and reminded of the continued advocacy work that will be needed to protect our city.
Regards,
Your CRCAG Board